ADEQUACY OF PRENATAL CARE UTILIZATION AND ITS EFFECT ON POSTPARTUM INFANT FEEDING BEHAVIORS IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

Background: Prenatal care service is an important public health intervention in Ghana but its contribution to the adoption of healthy infant feeding behaviours remains unclear. This study was designed toassess the relationship between adequate prenatal care utilization and postpartum infant feeding behaviours. Methods: We used a cross-sectional design on a sample of 384 postpartum mothers who had delivered a live baby within the past one year prior to the conduct of this study. Results: Out of the 384 postpartum women interviewed 3.9 % (15) did not attend ANC during their last pregnancy. Of the 369 women who received antenatal care (ANC) services, only 36.9 % (136) initiated ANC during the first trimester of pregnancy. Of the 384 mothers, 69.3 % were considered to have practiced good infant feeding. Bivariate analyses showed that a greater proportion of women who attended ANC at least four times delivered in a health institution, compared to women who attended ANC less than four times (84.1 % versus 57.9 %) [χ2 = 20.9, p < 0.001]. In logistic regression analysis, the main predictor of good infant feeding was delivery in a health institution. Women who delivered in health institutions were 16 times more likely of providing their infants with good feeding (AOR = 16.16, Cl: 8.68 - 30.08), p < 0.001. This variable alone accounted for 30 % of the variance in good infant feeding behavior (Nagelkerke R Square =0 .32). Conclusions: Evidence from this study suggests that there is a strong relationship between prenatal care service utilization and good postpartum infant feeding behavior. Effective focused ANC services may greatly enhance good infant feeding practices.